The 2025/26 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) saw some fabulous batting performances in the opening round across the country. However, the bowlers also shine with the new ball and even in the death phases of the game, which head the first day of the 50-over domestic tournament in this country.

Most of the pitches used for this tournament help the batters to trust the pace and bounce to smash the flurry of boundaries and sixes around the ground. Despite that situation, it becomes a challenge for the bowlers to hold their line and come up with some smart field positions to fox the batters with their variations.

A look at the top 5 bowling performances from Day 1 of VHT 2025/26

1.   Arzan Nagwaswalla (Gujarat)

The left-arm pacer of the Gujarat side, Arzan Nagwaswalla, has a decent record in List-A cricket with the help of 83 wickets in 46 innings at an average of under 24 and a strike rate of just over 26. For a long time, India has needed a left arm in white-ball cricket, especially in the ODIs, and if Arzan can impress the selectors throughout the event, he can make it easy for his national selection.

Against services in Alur, Nagwaswalla finished with four wickets for 34 runs in 8.2 overs at an economy rate of just over four. Two of those wickets include the top three of the Services batting order as he swings the new ball in both ways to create issues for the opposition.

2.   Simarjeet Singh (Delhi)

The former Chennai Super Kings pacer who made his way to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Simarjeet Singh, playing for Delhi, has a struggling record in List A cricket in 24 innings with as many wickets at an average of nearly 40.

See Also: Top 5 batting performances from Day 1 of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26

But he had a chance to impress Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant alongside Ishan Sharma 3 national players who were featuring in the clash against Andhra Pradesh in Bengaluru. Simarjeet uses pace and bounce to create issues for the batters and return with a strong figure of 5/54 in his 10 overs, including a maiden over. Delhi completed the chase by 4 wickets in more than 12 overs to spare.

3.   Atit Sheth (Baroda)

Baroda’s pace allrounder, Atit Sheth, was another strong performer with the ball in the opening round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26. In just 65 innings, the right-arm pacer has picked up 84 wickets in List-A cricket at an average of under 26 and an economy rate of under five as he started the new season of the 50-over domestic tournament with an impressive performance.

Sheet picked up four wickets for 56 runs in 8.4 overs to help Baroda bundle out the opposition, Assam, for  just 282 runs. Later, they completed the chase by five wickets with 13 balls to spare. Vishnu Solanki smashed a fine unbeaten knock of 88 runs in 62 deliveries at a strike rate of over 140.

4.   Baba Aparajith (Kerala)

Baba Aparajith is not known for his off-spin bowling in List-A cricket, but he also has 71 wickets in 77 innings at an average of under 29, which underlines his bowling and provides a decent amount of overs to the captain if required.

In the contest against Tripura, he finished with five wickets for just 15 runs in 5.5 overs to bundle out the opposition for 203 runs and complete a 145-run victory. Earlier in the day, he nailed 64 runs in 73 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

5.   Saransh Jain (Madhya Pradesh)

The right-arm batter and a left-arm spin-allrounder of Madhya Pradesh, Saransh Jain, ended with an impressive bowling performance for Madhya Pradesh against Rajasthan in Ahmedabad. He is not far away from getting his name in the Indian test site as an op spinner, but there is a chance of him impressing the slickers even in the white wall formats.

During the clash against Rajasthan, he picked up three wickets for 37 runs in 10 overs at an economic rate of under four to bundle out the Rajasthan side for 188 runs and complete a 99-run victory for Madhya Pradesh. 

Central Delhi Kings won a strong 62-run win over East Delhi Riders in Match 39 of the Delhi Premier League. Batting first, CDK lost some early wickets but settled well as Yugal Saini played a quick and important knock of 52 runs from 32 balls. Jasvir Sehrawat added a calm 37, and with help from the lower order, the team reached 155/6 in their 20 overs.

Chasing 156, East Delhi Riders were under pressure right from the start. They lost four wickets in the first three overs and could never recover. Akhil Chaudhary (26) and Rounak Waghela (19) tried to hold the innings together, but wickets kept falling at the other end. The team was bowled out for 93 runs in just 16 overs. The hero of the day was Money Grewal, who picked up 5/23 and gave CDK a well-deserved victory.

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Central Delhi Kings won by 12 runs against Outer Delhi Warriors in 20th match of Delhi Premier League 2025. CDS Batting first, they scored 161/8, with Aditya Bhandari hitting a quick 41 from 27 balls. In reply, Keshav Dabas fought hard with 64 runs, but CDK’s tight bowling made sure ODW fell short at 149/8.

The Kings lost Yash Dhull (2) and Yugal Saini (1) early, but Siddharth Joon (32) and captain Jonty Sidhu (29) steadied the innings. Then Aditya Bhandari played a strong knock, smashing 5 fours and a six in his 41 runs. Pranshu Vijayran added 15 runs late, and Jasvir Sehrawat’s quick 7 not out helped them finish above 160.

The Warriors had a terrible start, losing three wickets in the first three overs. Keshav Dabas scored 64 runs of 45 balls, hitting 6 fours and 2 sixes. Harsh Tyagi scored 31, but with wickets falling at regular intervals, they couldn’t catch up. CDK’s bowlers stayed disciplined and took control to seal the win.

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Match 11 of the Delhi Premier League 2025 was a complete one-way show. Central Delhi Kings (CDK) totally outplayed South Delhi Superstarz (SDS) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, winning the match by 9 wickets in just 6 overs. After winning the toss, CDK bowled first and made the perfect use of the pitch.

SDS had a terrible day with the bat. They were bowled out for just 80 runs in 15.4 overs. Wickets kept falling from the start, and no one really stayed at the crease. Tejasvi Dahiya hit a quick 15, and both Kunwar Bidhuri and Vision Panchal got starts but couldn’t build on them.

CDK’s bowlers were on fire. Simarjeet Singh picked up 3 wickets for 15 runs and bowled with great energy. Tejas Baroka also did serious damage, taking 3 wickets for just 12 runs.

Chasing 81, CDK batters came out swinging. Captain Yash Dhull led from the front with 29 runs off just 15 balls. Siddharth Joon was even more destructive, smashing 32 off only 10 balls. He made the chase super easy. Only one wicket fell during the chase that of Siddharth but by then, the game was already over. Yugal Saini came in and finished things off calmly, scoring 12 not out. CDK chased down the target in just 6 overs and won the match with 14 overs to spare a totally dominating performance.

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Central Delhi Kings put on a top‑class show to thrash New Delhi Tigers by 9 wickets in the DPL 2025. Chasing a target of 125, the Kings got the job done in just 13 overs, making it a one‑sided game.

Batting first, New Delhi Tigers couldn’t build big partnerships. Opener Dhruv Kaushik fell for a duck, and even though captain Himmat Singh scored 28 from 31 balls, the rest of the batting didn’t click. Parth Bali (20), Aryan Dalal (21) and Pankaj Jaiswal (12) added some runs, but no one stayed long enough to take control.

The Kings’ bowlers were on target from ball one. Gavnish Khurana took 3 wickets for just 20 runs, Money Grewal picked up 2 for 16, and Simarjeet Singh got 2 for 35. Tejas Baroka and Jonty Sidhu also took a wicket each as the Tigers ended on 124/9 in 20 overs.

The Kings’ reply was played very calm and aggressive when easy balls bowled. Their openers gave them a strong start, and even after losing one wicket, they kept scoring quickly. In the end, they scored 125/1 in only 13 overs, sealing an easy win. It was a great all‑round performance from Central Delhi Kings sharp bowling, tidy fielding, and powerful batting leaving New Delhi Tigers with no answers on the day.

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